First Test: Bangladesh slip to 37/2 at tea as India take control
Chattogram (PTI): Pace duo of Mohammed Siraj and Umesh Yadav reduced Bangladesh to 37 for 2 at tea after a stunning lower order fightback helped India take control of the opening Test against Bangladesh here on Thursday.
Siraj struck on the very first ball when he induced an edge off lefthander Najmul Hossain Shanto with an away going delivery.
Leading the pace department in absence of Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, Yadav then reduced Bangladesh to 5 for 2 inside the fourth over after inducing an inside edge off Yasir Ali, who was playing away from his body.
But thereafter Litton Das calmed things down with his fluent drives and remained unbeaten on 24 off 26 balls.
At the break, Das and Zakir Hasan (9) were in the middle with Bangladesh trailing India by 367 runs with eight wickets in hand.
The opening session was all about Ravichandran Ashwin (58 off 113 balls, 2x4, 2x6) and Kuldeep Yadav, who made a perfect case for him as an allrounder in absence of Ravindra Jadeja, with a career-best 40 (114b; 5x4).
Playing his first Test after more than 22 months, Kuldeep extended a splendid support to Ashwin as the duo frustrated Bangladesh with an 87-run partnership for the eighth wicket.
The 28-year-old Kuldeep, who has a century and six fifties averaging 22-plus in first class cricket, got off the mark after 18 balls as he looked solid with his defence. His slog sweep and reverse sweep shots also caught the attention.
Ashwin, who has five Test centuries including four against the West Indies, showed a lot of composure and maturity en route to his 13th Test halfcentury.
The duo hardly took a foot wrong pushing India past the 400-mark after the visitors resumed the day at 278 for 6 and lost overnight batter Shreyas Iyer (86) with the addition of just four runs to his total.
Having batted India out of a tricky spot on the opening day, Iyer once again failed to get to a well-deserved hundred and got out with addition of just four runs to his overnight total.
Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan mostly employed his star spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz to go in tandem with pacer Khaled Ahmed but Ashwin hardly looked in any trouble.
He made his intent clear stepping down to Mehidy for a six. Luck also favoured Ashwin when he survived an 'umpire's call' after left-arm spinner Taijul Islam had him trapped in front of the legstump when he was on 34.
That pace spearhead Ebadot Hossain was taken out of the attack after his impressive spell of 4-1-7-1 in the morning also helped the Indian cause.
Kuldeep also oozed confidence as Ashwin was happy to take singles and give him the strike.
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16 people arrested for drug peddling, contraband worth Rs 5.24 cr seized: Police
Bengaluru (PTI): Bengaluru City Police on Friday said 16 people, including two women were arrested allegedly for drug peddling and contraband worth Rs 5.24 crore have been seized.
The arrests were made by the Narcotics Wing of the Central Crime Branch, they said.
A total of 3,000 MDMA ecstasy pills (1.93 kg), 230 grams of MDMA crystal, 48.75 kg ganja, and 306 grams of hydro ganja have been seized, police said, adding that its estimated market value is Rs 5.24 crore.
During the operations, a total of 16 persons, including eight from other states and two women, were taken into custody on different dates, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said during a press conference here.
"During interrogation, the accused, including the two women , confessed that they were procuring banned narcotic substances such as MDMA ecstasy pills, MDMA crystal, ganja, and hydro ganja at lower prices from foreign nationals, persons from other states, and local unidentified suppliers, with the intention of earning easy money, and were selling them to the public, including college students," he said.
Efforts are ongoing to trace the foreign and out-of-state suppliers who were providing narcotic substances to the accused, police said, adding that further investigation is underway.
In a separate special drive, officers and staff of the CCB Narcotics Wing conducted operations in the limits of Bagalur, Whitefield, Parappana Agrahara, and Madanayakanahalli police stations against foreign nationals who were overstaying their visas and allegedly involved in drug peddling, police said.
"Nine foreign nationals were taken into custody. As per the orders of the FRRO (Foreigners Regional Registration Officer), the nine foreign nationals were sent to the Foreigners Detention Centre. Subsequently, two of them have been deported to their home country," he added.
